Reform of the naturalization law
Turkish community expects flood of applications
5/20/2023 5:36 am
The federal government wants to relax German citizenship law. Dual nationalities should be possible in the future and the requirements should be moderated. The Turkish community in Germany expects a large crowd.
The chairman of the Turkish community in Germany, Gökay Sofuoglu, expects significantly more applications for naturalization in view of the forthcoming reform of citizenship law by the traffic light coalition. He welcomes the planned modernization, he told the editorial network Germany (RND). He expects a large rush among the people of Turkish origin in Germany, especially among those from the second generation. However, the authorities would need more staff to be able to process these applications.
Sofuoglu added that the project of the traffic light coalition does not correspond in every detail to what he would like. “When they are naturalized, people already sign today that they are committed to the Basic Law.” It is also understandable if applicants are denied citizenship in the case of anti-Semitic or racist crimes. “But that must not become a test of attitude,” he demanded.
In the case of people from the guest worker generation, it would also be logical to dispense with language tests altogether, instead of just lowering the hurdle, according to the chairman of the Turkish community. Here he would like more generosity, said Sofuoglu.
Delinquency as a higher hurdle
After the coalition had agreed on the main features of a new nationality law, the Federal Ministry of the Interior published the draft bill on Friday. It envisages a number of far-reaching changes: naturalization should be simplified and dual citizenship should be possible in principle. The naturalization of people who cannot support themselves or who have already committed criminal offenses in Germany should be made more difficult.
The reform is intended to provide particular relief for the older generation of so-called guest workers who immigrated before June 1974. In the future, they should no longer have to submit written proof of language proficiency as a requirement for a German passport. Instead, proof of oral knowledge suitable for everyday use should suffice in the future. A naturalization test should also no longer be necessary.